


Home Is Where We Are

by Demenior



Series: Iridescence [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Other, Post-Season/Series 06, Voltron Lion to Paladin Psychic Bond, it's only shippy if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 08:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14996462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demenior/pseuds/Demenior
Summary: Shiro's bond with the Black Lion is different than before.Keith worries she might try to take him back.





	Home Is Where We Are

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to read the first story in this series, as there's some references to it that might confuse new readers.
> 
> What started as a joke story has turned into something big and fun, so, here we go!!!!

Shiro’s quiet.

It’s not like he was ever a loud person, or the chattiest person around, but there’s a quietness to him that wasn’t there before.

While they planet-hop he stays up in the cockpit with Keith, with a shock blanket around his shoulders and Dog sleeping against him. Keith catches sight of him in the corner of his eye, and keeps having to double check that Shiro is actually here.

He looks like a ghost sometimes. He’s still pale—he hasn’t spent enough time under any sun since his imprisonment to regain his healthy skintone—but paired with his white hair now he just seems so out of place in the soft shadows that cover him. He rests his head against the wall and dozes, his one hand idly stroking Dog’s head which is the only indication he might be awake.

He’s quiet. And he seems so fragile. Keith doesn’t know how to handle him—that’s wrong, he does. He knows Shiro, will always know Shiro. But he’s afraid that too much attention, too much focus, could hurt him.

Keith has a lot of questions. He’ll get around to asking them eventually, but after Shiro told them about his experiences in the Astral Plane, and his, well, relations with and to the Black Lion, Keith figured that Shiro was up here more to be closer to her than for Keith’s company.

He wonders what that’s like. To be so… deep with a Lion.

Shiro’s brow furrows and he blinks awake like he was in a heavy sleep. Keith doesn’t bother pretending like he wasn’t staring.

“There’s a planet up ahead—used to have a huge market. Good for supplies,” Shiro says. His voice is soft and raspy.

Keith nods, and turns back to his scanners. Yes, he can pick out a distant planet with the Black Lion’s sensors. He’s never heard of it before.

“Has anyone heard of Trillium?” he asks over the coms.

“Trillium?” Coran replies, from the Blue Lion. There’s a groan from Allura as Coran must have leapt over her to reach for the coms himself. They’re all getting stir crazy from being locked inside so long.

“Trillium was a traders location in my time,” Allura says, and there’s a softer grunt of, “get off!” followed by a “sorry Princess!”

“It was hugely popular as an open market. Chaotic, full of energy, and you could always find a good deal if you knew what you were doing,” Coran finishes.

“Well it’s up ahead,” Keith says, and glances back at Shiro. Shiro’s chin is tucked to his chest and his hand is still. He tires out really fast lately. Keith wants to know how Shiro knew about a planet from ten thousand years ago.

“Lots of things have changed,” Allura ventures, “but it could be worth investigating, and maybe stocking up on supplies.”

“If the market is still there,” Hunk says, “like you said: things change.”

“I say we find out,” Pidge says.

“We go in careful,” Keith announces, “scout it before we land. But I think we need a break from flying.”

He switches off the coms just as Lance starts a victory howl, just to make sure Shiro gets a little more rest.

 

* * *

 

The market, as it turns out, has not only survived ten thousand years, but flourished in that time. They land the Lions away from civilization, coming in quietly and with stealth to keep from being seen.

As much as Keith loves flying, and loves the glory of space, he can’t help but feel a little relief as he steps onto solid ground for the first time in almost three days. Shiro shuffles out behind him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Mom and Dog are behind them.

Their ragtag crew are all stretching out, and Keith shrugs his shoulders back as he takes in a deep breath of fresh air.

The planet, so far as they could tell, was relatively safe and so long as they didn’t do anything crazy to draw attention, it should be no problem to get some food and other supplies to start replacing things they’d lost with the Castleship.

Keith could tell that everyone was also excited to get back amongst other people again. As much as they were all a family, having only each other to talk to for over a week was leaving them at a loss for conversation and making everyone cranky.

They take the Lion’s speeders in. No one wears their Paladin armor, and Shiro opts to wear a hood to conceal his face. He’s easily the most identifiable of them all, and eye-catching too. Moreso than he was before, at least. The way the light catches his hair almost makes it glow like a halo. Dog stays behind with the Lions, and sprawls on her back in the sunlight.

Hunk beats everyone out to claiming Shiro as his passenger and takes special care to find an easy route down the hill towards town.

 

* * *

 

The market itself is huge and bustling with action. There’s vendors everywhere, carts piled high with spices and fruits, tech or fabrics, clothing and weapons of all sorts. Keith feels dazzled at the commotion after so long in the vacuum of space and realizes belatedly that Shiro’s probably overwhelmed. He turns to step closer, to offer to take Shiro back to the Lions or stay with him on the outskirts, but Pidge has already slid into position and hooked two thin fingers into one of Shiro’s beltloops. She leans her shoulder into his side, and Keith sees him shift to lean back into her.

It’s not intentional, but as they move into the crowds, they spread out to keep Shiro in the middle. Hunk and Coran take point, knowing what they should be looking for, and Keith takes up Shiro’s other side. Allura and Lance bring up the rear. If Shiro notices, he doesn’t say anything. Mom and Romelle follow a few steps back.

It’s hard not to stare at everything around them. Keith is curious about the smells and the sounds—are they more intense due to his Galra heritage? Or because he hasn’t been around this many people in years?

He expects more stares—they are a large group after all. Maybe they should have split up. He should have thought about that. But the idea of splitting them up, even though they’re all each other has spoken to in so long, seems wrong. They’re a unit, a team.

Shiro’s head is up and he’s staring with unabashed curiosity and wonder at everything they pass. He has a hood up, which helps obscure his face a bit, but from his spot beside him Keith can see how wide his eyes are, and the moments where Shiro’s eyes are a little too wet. He reaches out to tap his knuckles against Shiro’s hip to get his attention.

“You okay?” Keith asks.

Shiro nods, and takes a moment to compose himself, “Yeah. I’m, uh, I’m actually really happy. This is exciting.”

Shiro’s smiling, despite how glassy his eyes look. Keith hasn’t seen Shiro smile like this in a long time. It’s infectious, and he can’t help but smile back. Pidge must nudge him, because Shiro turns away and the two of them strike up a conversation.

 

* * *

 

Coran and Hunk are meticulous in their product selection and get absorbed in haggling for the best prices. It leaves the rest of them awkwardly crowding around and being in the way. So, naturally, the group begins to drift a little bit. They don’t separate, exactly, but Keith spots a vendor that catches his eye, and while he’s trying to stay aware of everyone else’s positions, it’s hard to pinpoint everyone else in the crowds.

He thinks he’s only taken a moment, but when Keith glances up, he realizes he’s lost sight of everyone—and not just everyone. He’s lost Shiro. Where’s Shiro? No, no, no, not again. Keith can’t do this again—he just got Shiro back. If anything happens to him, because Keith wasn’t there to save him—

Mom stops Keith with a gentle hand.

“Shiro’s with Pidge,” she assures him, “they’re just up there.”

Keith feels a little embarrassed about how quickly he started to panic. He nods a thanks and makes to shuffle his way over. Mom pulls him back.

“Let Pidge have some time,” she insists.

Shiro has been traveling in the Black Lion—his Lion, that he’s letting Keith pilot. Keith has been spending plenty of time with him. It’s probably safe to assume that the others want time with Shiro too.

“Okay,” Keith nods. It’s hard to let go. He takes a last glance where Mom said they were, and spots Shiro’s hooded head. He’s still here. He isn’t gone again.

“Remember the guan-yap I thold you about?” Mom asks, “I bet we can find some if we hurry.”

It’s a distraction. But Mom’s descriptions of the food had made Keith more than curious to try it.

“Okay,” he agrees, and follows in her wake.

 

* * *

 

They spend a long time in the market. Longer than they should, really. Keith and Mom wander. They run into Allura and Lance, and they hear Hunk and Coran loudly bartering for various things. Keith takes a few bags of food they’ve gotten and carries them, so Hunk’s arms will have room for more.

Mom finds guan-yap’s and when she confesses that Keith, her son, has never tried one, the old woman running the stall breaks one open and offers Keith a piece on the spot. They end up talking with her for a long time and buy lots of her produce at full price. Keith eats until juice runs down his chin and Mom playfully wipes it away. It makes him laugh, to have this interaction with her.

By the time everyone meets back at the speeders it’s late into the afternoon. They’re loaded with food enough to last them well over a week of travel, without tightly rationing, and by the looks of things, a few knick-knacks for everyone.

Shiro and Pidge are the last to come back. Pidge is wearing a new pair of goggles, and Shiro’s holding a small bouquet of vibrant flowers close to him. They’re wrapped in paper for transport, but the top has been opened to show the flowers.

“I couldn’t resist,” Shiro admits, and bends his head to smell the flowers again, “they smell so good.”

He’s looking a little haggard though—this might be the longest he’s been awake since being brought out of the Astral Plane.

“We should get going,” Pidge announces, confirming Keith’s thoughts.

While everyone else loads the speeders, Pidge makes sure that Shiro’s flowers are properly secured and wrapped again. Shiro rejoins Hunk in his speeder, and Hunk sits up straighter with his important task of transporting Shiro back to the Lions.

They take their time getting back. Lance takes point, with Hunk behind him, and Keith follows behind. Everyone else goes ahead to start making dinner. The idea of a big, warm dinner is more appealing than Keith thought it would be— especially one shared on the ground, with his family.

 

* * *

 

Dog zaps across twenty feet and tackles Keith in excitement. While Keith is distracted with wet licks on his face, everyone else is already unpacking. The Lions are exactly where they were left— all crouched as low as they can be and motionless as machines.

A fire is set up right away. Lance and Pidge race to collect firewood, and Keith gets to show off Dog’s cool trick when he orders her to ‘ _spark_ _’_ and she lights their kindling with one shot.

Shiro doesn’t protest when he’s offered a work stool to sit down on, and his eyes are drooping enough that Keith wonders if he should go lie down while dinner is made. But he doesn’t think he’d want to miss out on any of this either, so he doesn’t push the issue. Mom gets Shiro’s blanket from the Black Lion and Shiro drapes it across his lap.

They cut up and eat the food as they go— Hunk cooks and smokes their meat over the fire. He complains about all the spices he should have bought, and explains cooking processes. Keith’s been dreaming of Hunk’s cooking for years, and has nothing but praises for him. It makes Hunk blush and glow with pride.

“So this is… I got these for all of you,” Shiro announces, holding his flowers. He lays the wrapping across his lap and carefully peels the tape off with his one hand. Everyone falls quiet, listening intently.

“It… it seems kind of silly,” Shiro admits, “but I just— I wanted to say thank you. For everything.”

“You don’t need to thank us,” Allura assures him.

Shiro nods, “But I saw these, and it just felt right.”

He gets the wrapping open and selects specific flowers for each one of them. Even Romelle and Mom get one.

“It’s not… they’re not really useful. But on earth, as a gesture of gratitude we often bought people flowers. And I thought they might be nice while we’re traveling.”

“Thanks man,” Lance announces, completely sincere.

Hunk takes a deep sniff of his, “This’ll be perfect for an air freshener.”

Shiro smiles at the feedback, and that spurs Pidge and Coran to add how much they appreciate the gifts to make him smile more.

“You guys!” Shiro protests, laughing, and his ears are going a little pink. He’s kept one flower for himself, and traces his fingers on the stem.

 

* * *

 

The afternoon fades to evening, and darkness creeps in. The Lions become harder to see in the dark, instead fading into the landscape until it’s just them: the crew, around the fire.

It strikes Keith in that moment that this is home. Wherever his crew is. He feels like Shiro for a moment, smiling even though his eyes get watery. Thankfully no one notices and he wipes his face before anyone can see.

They talk plans— where they’re going next, what they should do on Earth, and what they’re excited to see. They spend a while describing their favorite foods from home to the Alteans, with Mom adding in bits that she knows. It’s fun, and a nice night. In the end they all curl up around the fire, opting to spend time outside of the Lions while they can.

 

* * *

 

Keith wakes up to the sound of machinery moving. It takes him a moment to realize it’s a Lion. When he squints in the dark he can see that the Black Lion has opened her mouth, and he just catches a glimpse of Shiro shuffling up the ramp into her. Is he okay?

Keith gets up quietly. He doesn’t glance behind him where the embers of the fire are still lit, and would ruin his night vision. He jogs to the Lion and follows Shiro in.

“Shiro?” he calls, “are you okay?”

There’s no response, and Keith’s heart leaps into his throat. He imagines Shiro collapsed on the floor, something gone horribly wrong. Or Shiro just gone, again. Keith breaks into a run.

He finds Shiro in the cockpit, and skids to a stop. Shiro has his blanket loosely wrapped around himself, and his hand out on Black’s console. The console is flickering around his fingers— not like it’s malfunctioning, but it almost seems intentional? The lights follow Shiro’s fingertips. His hair reflects the soft purple hue.

It looks so much like the Astral Plane that Keith thinks he could be sick with fear. He has to get Shiro out of here.

“Shiro?” Keith asks again. Maybe Shiro just wanted a little time alone with his Lion. Which brings to mind, again, what Shiro had said about his time in the Astral Plane. Keith believes him when Shiro says it _wasn_ _’t_ sexual, but now that the other interpretation is out, it’s hard not to think about it.

Shiro’s startled out of whatever trance he was in and blinks rapidly as he looks up at Keith, “Hey,” he says, “you okay?”

“I came to ask you that,” Keith admits. What’s going on? Shiro’s not going to vanish again, is he? Was Black about to take him away again, “what are you doing?”

Shiro smiles, though it’s tired, “I, uh, this is kinda silly but I got Black a flower too.” He trails his fingers over the dash in a slow sweep, and the lights follow in his wake, “it’s really not a good enough gift— she can’t even _smell_ it— but I wanted to try and say thank you.”

Keith steps a little closer, “There’s nothing you have to repay. We all care about you and want you here. Where you belong.”

“I know,” Shiro agrees. He works the stem of the flower into a small gap between panels.

“Here you go, girl,” Shiro says out loud, “this is a gift of gratitude back on earth.”

The lights leave Shiro’s fingertips and flow through the lines of the machinery to the flower.

“You had to do this now?” Keith asks, “it’s the middle of the night.” It comes out harsher than he means to, but he’s worried that Shiro’s hiding something.

Shiro’s cheeks go red, “It’s just— it’s kinda silly. And a little private.”

“Oh,” Keith realizes. Shiro wanted to have a moment alone with his Lion for the first time since being brought back to life. And Keith just ruined it.

Suddenly the entire cockpit lights up. Keith flinches in surprise. He hears Shiro let out a delighted laugh, and when he looks at him, Shiro is grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m glad you like it,” Shiro says. He’s not talking to Keith.

The lights stay on for another moment, and then shut off. Keith rubs the sunspots out of his eyes.

When he can blink his eyes open again, Shiro has his hand resting flat on the console. His eyes are closed, but he’s still smiling. His palm glows from underneath.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going back to bed. All I ever do is sleep,” Shiro mumbles, and then betrays his complaint with a loud yawn.

Keith waits until Shiro steps back, letting his hand drop from the console. The lights fade, and they’re in the dark again.

“She can hear you?” Keith asks.

“Yeah,” Shiro says like it’s no big deal, and he yawns again as he says “I’m gonna head back.”

The emergency lights come on for them as they walk, guiding the safe passage back out of the Lion. Keith looks at the lights in a way he never has before. He’s always vaguely known the Lions were more than machines, but he never considered the idea that they were alive like he and Shiro or the others are.

But the Black Lion had been explicitly reacting to Shiro. Had been communicating with him— possibly speaking, if Shiro’s one-sided conversation was anything to go by. They’re very close— bonded deep enough that when Shiro died, Black pulled him back and kept him alive until Keith and the others could save him.

Keith feels a little embarrassed for thinking that Black might have been taking Shiro away again.

“So, uh, you and Black,” Keith ventures as they hit the ramp to exit, “it’s getting serious?”

Shiro shoots him a confused look.

“Sex and flowers,” Keith deadpans.

Shiro snorts loudly, and pulls the corner of his blanket up to cover his face for a moment.

“It’s not—” he starts.

“I know,” Keith smiles, “but it’s funny.”

Shiro rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling, “She saved me from getting wiped out of existence, I gave her a flower. So yeah, I guess you could say we’re getting pretty serious.”

“Next time you could hang a sock on the door,” Keith offers, “so I don’t interrupt.”

Shiro groans and rolls his eyes, “Knock it off!”

They pause just outside the Lion. They’re far enough from the fire that they won’t disturb the others while they talk.

“It’s pretty cool,” Keith offers, and glances back up at Black, “how close you are now. Just imagine what you’ll be able to do when you fly her again.”

Shiro shakes his head, “I’m a ways from that still. Having two hands will be the first step.”

“When you fly her…” Keith pauses, and he thought he had gotten past it, but the fear is too fresh, too raw, “you won’t… you won’t go away again, will you? Could that happen?”

“Only if I die,” Shiro jokes.

Keith glares at him and Shiro shrugs.

“Black took me there as a last resort. And we’re all stronger now, and there’s no Zarkon in a big mecha suit to fight,” Shiro says, “I’m not going anywhere, Keith. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

Keith glances at the camp in front of them. Their found family sleeping around the fire.

“Me neither,” Keith says.


End file.
